The Anti-Life Equation
by MrGrayson24
Summary: Darkseid is after the pieces to The Anti-Life Equation and starts with the Bat Family. There are going to be 9 chapters and I'm posting every Sunday and Wednesday! Jason/Dick
1. Part I

Title: The Anti-Life Equation

Rating: T+

Chapter: 1/?

Summary: Darkseid is after the pieces to The Anti-Life Equation and starts with the Bat Family. Jason/Dick

Author's Note: Hope everyone enjoys it. Just a timeline note, this is a little bit after Jason returns as Red Hood but other then that, it's pretty floating.

-x-

"Why do these things never work for me?"

"It's not the grappling hook." Barbara handed it back as they descended the stairs into the Batcave. "It's you. You never tighten them afterward. That's why they keep snapping."

"Hmm…" Dick inspected it closer. "I don't know… Jay, let me see yours."

There was a moment of uncomfortable silence, like there always seemed to be when they spoke now. Dick knew it hadn't gone unnoticed by Jason but he wrote it off as an adaption period from being back from the dead.

Jason handed him the gun in a way so their hands didn't touch. "Mine usually works fine."

" _Usually._ " Dick looked at Barbara. "And I will bet you anything Jason isn't tightening it when he's done, are you Jason?"

"I do." They filtered onto the landing and stood in front of the monitor. "Not every time, but I don't want it to give out when I'm ten stories up."

Barbara laughed at Dick. "It's definitely you, then."

Suddenly, the cave shook.

"Did somebody leave the waterfall open?" Dick asked as the three of them jumped apart to avoid the falling debris.

There were crashes of thunder as sparks appeared in the air and congregated on the other side of the cave. They wove themselves together until there was a hole of light that crackled with electricity.

"What is that thing?" Jason asked.

Dick and Barbara looked at one another. "Boom Tube." They said together and dashed apart. Dick went to the weapons closet and pulled the heaviest artillery he could find while Barbara stood at the monitor, typing wildly.

Jason looked confused. "Am I supposed to know what that is?"

"It's a portal." Barbara called over her shoulder. "I'd get ready if I were you, they probably aren't here to make friendship bracelets." Image after image and file after file appeared on the screen, only to disappear in a red flash.

Jason hesitated before he joined Dick in gathering the weapons. Even during the chaos, they kept a healthy distance between them.

"Are you clear yet, Babs?" Dick asked.

"Almost done. There's Petabytes of information on this thing."

A cluster of sparks appeared in the portal's center.

"Out of time. They're coming through!" Dick handed Barbara her utility belt.

She grabbed it, then turned back to the computer. "Cover me, we can't risk someone hacking in."

The cluster flickered green and a parademon appeared in it's center. Then dozens more clawed their way in behind it. Dick turned to Jason. "Shoot to kill." He threw him a gun. "These things aren't human." He smiled at Jason.

The parademons burst into the room. Half of them went about destroying whatever they could find. The others made a direct line for the trio. Jason fired first and landed a shot right to the head, and the creature fell to the floor in crumbles.

While Dick struggled with one, another approached Barbara. "Batgirl!"

Barbara turned just in time to stab the parademon in the eye with her taser. Sparks shot between them and the parademon collapsed. She immediately went back to the computer.

"You're not doing a very good job!" She yelled.

"There's too many of them!" Dick pointed to the portal where more were pouring in.

"It's okay! I've… just about… _got it_!" The entire screen flashed red.

"Watch out!" Jason tackled Barbara to the ground as a parademon sailed above them and into the computer screen.

Dick got the upper hand in a struggle against two and flung them toward the portal, knocking others from the air, which left an opening. From his collection of weapons in the duffel bag on his shoulder, Dick withdrew an emp grenade and tossed it into the portal. Sparks flew in every direction, the parademons inside were consumed by lightning and then burnt to nothing. The portal closed.

"It worked!" Dick grinned as he turned back toward the monitor. Jason and Barbara had managed to get to their feet and cut parademons from the air.

The cave shook, harder than before and three more portals opened around them. And with it, a flood of parademons who all raced for Barbara.

She did her best to keep them at bay. Dick fought his way over, but by the time he got there, they had consumed Jason so much that Dick couldn't see him anymore and Barbara was nearly overwhelmed. She pulled every piece of artillery she could from the belt; smoke bombs, batarangs, guns, when one parademon fell, there were two more to take its place.

"What're we gonna do?!" Dick threw a pulse bomb into the cluster and upon explosion, Jason was able to break free. But when more came, they seemed to forget about him and tunneled toward Barbara.

"I think they're after you!" Jason called.

They were overwhelmed. A few parademons managed to cling onto Barbara and knock her off her feet. It was like an alarm had gone off, and they retreated, dragging Barbara behind them.

She pulled her batarang from her utility belt, twisted her ankle in the parademons grasp, and shot into the back of his head. He let go and she scrambled back toward Dick, only for three more to grab her legs and pull her back toward the portal. She clawed at the floor, but there was nothing to hold so she pulled a tracker from a pouch and threw the receiver toward Dick. The parademons dwindled as the hordes made their way back through the glowing doors.

"Find the black boxes!" She screamed.

Then, Barbara was dragged through the portal and disappeared and the cave went still.

"Where did they take her?" Jason asked.

"Those were parademons, they work for Darkseid. This is _very_ not good…" Dick looked up. "Do you hear something?"

The beeping grew louder and Dick's eyes went wide. "They planted explosives!" All around the cave, small timers went off and emitted flashing red lights. "Move!"

Dick could feel the heat of the explosion on the back of his legs as the rushed up the stairs, scurried through the hidden door and pushed closed the Grandfather clock from the inside of Wayne Manor.

"We've lost our equipment, our base and our intel. This is very _very_ not good."

-x-

"We just need to make it to Wayne Tech - Bruce has backups there. And we probably shouldn't draw too much attention to ourselves in the meantime." Dick pulled the heavy light switch and the lights flickered on, one at a time, until the whole garage was illuminated.

The garage to Wayne Manor looked very different than the one in the batcave. There weren't cars with stealth technology or armored motorbikes. Instead, there were Rolls Royce's that had been in the family for generations, red Italian sports cars, and black town cars for Bruce's journeys into Gotham.

Dick chuckled. "Any preferences?"

Jason ran his hand along the Veneno Roadster and smiled. "We're going for speed, right?"

-x-

The drive to Wayne Tech was awkward for Dick, but not because Jason didn't have anything to talk about.

"I think I might like this better than the Batmobile!" They raced through the woods on the outside of Gotham. Jason flipped another switch, and the car rocketed forward. "Bruce has been holding out on us!"

It was exactly the type of behavior that had attracted Dick to Jason in the first place but since their reunion, things had been tense. Of all the times Dick had wished for a miracle, or a miraculous return, he never dreamed it would come true. But it had, and he'd been - still was - overjoyed that Jason was back, he just never thought the trauma from their experience would keep them apart.

Dick wanted to reach over and touch him, or tell Jason he missed him, or he still loved him, but there was something on Jason's face that told Dick those words would hurt him the most. So they drove in relative silence. Jason entertained himself with the car, and Dick looked out the window as they took the main road into the city.


	2. Part II

Title: The Anti-Life Equation

Author: Destinyislander24

Rating: T+

Chapter: 2/9

Author's Note: I missed my deadline! But my computer charger snapped on me so I'm going to get back on track, though the structure of the story is different than I thought it would be so, moving forward, for this story, Wednesdays and Sundays. Thank you to everyone who commented! Once I have reliable internet, I will be more interactive. But enjoy!

-x-

"I'm going to ask the obvious, why would Darkseid want Barbara?" Jason rounded onto the street that encircled Wayne Tech. "That seems a little… _extreme_ for anything that Barbara would be caught up in."

Dick meddled with the tracer's receiver. "She has something they need but until we know what, we won't know what his plan is- Damn it! I can't pick up a signal. Wherever she is… she's out of range."

Jason pulled into the parking garage. "What's the range on something like that?"

Dick sighed. "Earth…"

-x-

They shared an uncomfortable silence as they rode the glass elevator to the penthouse. Inside, the apartment was dark and cold. There were only the essential furnishings, and velvet black drapes covered the windows.

"Bruce loves depressing chic." Dick pulled back the heavy curtains and revealed the enormous window beneath. Gotham's skyline came into view, and the apartment was illuminated by the city below. "Wow… that's better."

Jason stood beside Dick and the lights flashed across his face. "Any idea where… or what these black boxes might be?"

Dick's stomach dropped. Since Jason had been back, his exterior was hard at best and Dick felt silly for thinking a view could change that. "No, but I have a feeling I know who does."

-x-

"Supergirl has been taken, as well." Supermanlooked down.

They met on the balcony only a few minutes after Dick placed the call. It was clear the man of steel was in a state of panic, his feet didn't touch the ground, as if he might need to fly away at a moment's notice.

Dick shook his head. "The only clue we have is the black boxes. Do you know anything about them? I figured if Bruce was trying to keep something safe, he'd come to you."

Clark sighed. "I warned him what would happen if his research ended up in the wrong hands. He agreed, but insisted the risk of its existence was worth more than it's potential harm, so we implemented a safety net. If there was ever a break in at the cave, or the computer was hacked, the files would download into six different backup drives, and they can only be unlocked when all the boxes are together."

"Do you think the connection between Barbara and Kara is on there?"

Clark nodded. "I do. But I don't know what it could be."

"Alright." Dick rubbed his temples. "We just need to bring the boxes together, and we can try to predict Darkseid's next move."

"I only know the location of the one I was entrusted with. But, I can get the others, I just need time."

-x-

"We're screwed... We've lost years and years of research, our headquarters is now an eighth, and the only girl who can make sense of it all got sucked into 'boom tube'. It's like we've taken two steps back from square one."

Jason wiped the last of the scuffs on his gun then threw it on the coffee table. "Things don't look good." He grabbed a knife from the dirty pile and leaned back on the couch.

"You seem to be handling all this very well."

"Worrying never helped me much. But you go ahead. I've got calm covered." Jason flashed the smile that always won Dick over. He wondered if Jason did it on purpose.

Dick couldn't think of what to say next, and the apartment fell silent. The huge elephant in the room never felt more apparent. "Jason… look, I know we haven't talked about-"

He jumped from the couch. "I need more oil." And disappeared into the living room.

"Well, at least that's the same." Dick muttered as he fell against the couch cushions and closed his eyes, only for a moment.

-x-

Dick awoke to a hand covering his mouth. It was Jason, with a finger pressed to his lips. He nodded to the balcony. It was still dark outside, and a figure moved among the shadows. They grabbed weapons from the clean pile and kept low.

The balcony door opened and someone slipped into the apartment. Jason crept up behind him and pressed a gun to the back of his head. Dick turned on the light. On the other end of Jason's gun was Roy Harper.

"Roy? What the hell are you doing?"

Royrolled his eyes. "Are you really going to pretend you don't know?"

Dick lowered Jason's gun. "What're you talking about?"

Roy made a face at Jason and turned to Dick. "Black Canary was taken last night, yet, nobody seems to want to give me any answers as to what the hell is going on so I've decided to take the investigation into my own hands. And where do all problems start? With the damn Bat people who think the rules don't apply to them."

"This wasn't our fault." Dick snapped.

"So you do know what's going on."

Dick groaned. "It was Parademons who took Dinah. And Batgirl. And Supergirl. They work for Darkseid on Apokolips, but we don't know why they showed up."

"Uh…" Jason scoffed. "You wanna give him our social security numbers, too?"

"He's annoying, but he's trustworthy."

Roy seemed stumped. "You're telling me Dinah is on another planet with a war lord?"

"I'm telling you that until we know more, it isn't prudent to start picking fights."

"What was Superman doing here?"

"How did you-" Dick shook his head. "Look, Roy, we have to trust each other, all we want is to get Barbara back. Superman might have some information we need to-"

"Oh God, here we go again. If there's a problem bigger than a mugger, we have to get the superhuman involved. But if that is the case, fine, what the hell is he waiting for? If everything you're saying is true, he should be at the steps to Darkseid's fortress now."

"We aren't going to march in there blind, if that's your suggestion." Dick could see the frustration on Roy's face. "I know this isn't easy but I promise, I will call you when we have more."

"Save it." Roy pushed his way between them and to the front door. "I'll do it on my own." He pulled it open. "Just stay out of my way." It slammed shut behind him.

"God!" Dick screamed. "That guy is such an asshole!"

-x-

"Thanks for stopping by on such short notice."

"I'm actually offended you waited so long." Tim opened the transmitter. "Did you really think you could do this without me?

They sat at the black wood table in the chrome accented kitchen.

Dick laughed. "Luckily, we'll never know. But this one might be a lost cause, especially if she's where we think she is."

"I've got a few tricks up my sleeve... This tracker wasn't formatted for it but…" He tightened a few screws and loosened others, "...we can start by turning the signal radius up by a lot." He pulled a spool of wire from beneath the table, connected one end to the circuit board and threw the other end out the window.

"That's going to strengthen the signal?"

"Yup, the wire works as an antenna but on it's own, it won't even get us a millionth of the way there."

"But because you're you-"

"Because I'm me, I've developed a transmitter that skews the wave so the furthest ripple echoes itself and becomes the new origin point. The distance it can travel is limitless, but it takes a while. Space is big."

"So I hear." Dick pat Tim on the back as he stood. "Good work. I won't risk a raid on Apokolips unless we know for sure that she's there." He paced the kitchen and rubbed his eyes.

Tim didn't look up from the transmitter. "You seem stressed."

"No kidding. I've been trying to stay level headed but I keep imagining what she must be going through."

"She'll be fine, she's been through worse." He thought. "Actually, probably not but we'll figure this out." He looked around. "By the way, where's Red Riding Hood?

"I told him to try and get some rest before Superman comes back with the boxes but he looks like he hasn't slept in weeks."

"Has he not been making progress?"

Dick stopped and shrugged. "I don't know. He doesn't tell me anything. I don't even know what happened to him after Raj brought him back, not really.."

"That's probably why he's been so closed off. You can't just pick up where you left off, he's a different person now.

"I know that." Dick said too harshly and groaned. "It's just… when Jason first died, I had this feeling like there was something I needed to do, and it drove me insane." He resumed his pacing. "It kept me awake at night. I thought about it on patrol and at school." He took a deep breath. "I realized I was waiting to know Jason was okay. But he wasn't. And as hard as it was, I accepted he was at rest, and I could move on. And I felt better."

Dick leaned against the kitchen wall. "Then, he came back and every terrible thing I could have imagined happened to him. And he went through it alone." Dick ran his fingers through his hair. "Now that feeling I had when he first died is back, but he won't let me touch him. I don't want to love him anymore. It hurts too much. It's harder to see him like this then it was to mourn his death."

A shuffle came from outside.

Superman entered from the balcony but as Dick went to greet him, he saw Jason standing on the other side of the kitchen wall.

-x-


	3. Part III

Title: The Anti-Life Equation

Rating: T+

Chapter: 3/9

Author: Destinyislander24

Author's Note: Alright, I am back in the game. I'm not thrilled I missed the Wednesday deadline but I have my charger back now, so we should be back on course. Thanks to those who reviewed and I hope everyone enjoys the next part!

-x-

There was no doubt in his mind, Jason had heard everything.

"Jason… I…" He choked. With Clark there, it was hard to say much.

Jason's expression was unreadable. When Dick gave him an apologetic look, he turned and followed Superman into the kitchen.

Tim, Dick, Jason and Clark gathered around Tim's computer on the the kitchen table. Clark held out his hand. "I hope you know what to do with these, I tried but I couldn't make heads or tail of them." In his palm were six black boxes the size of ice cubes.

"They're so small!" Tim said through the tension in the air. "I thought they'd be bigger." He turned to Jason. "Didn't you think they'd be bigger?"

"Hadn't thought about it."

Tim scooped them up. "It's just like a puzzle." He worked them together in a way that only made sense to him. When he was done, there was an odd shaped hard drive on the table.

Dick leaned over his shoulder. "That was… scary, how fast you were able to do that. And all we have to do is plug it into a comp- oh, you're already doing that."

Tim didn't listen. His eyes darted across the screen and his fingers were a blur above the keyboard. "It's encrypted, obviously." It was like he was talking to himself. "But, if we just find a back door here, jump a firewall here… one more for verification and… we're in!"

"Just like that?"

"I set up half of the batcave security. If there was one person who could get in, it would be me."

"Good to know." Dick took a deep breath. "Alright, let's see what we've got."

The screen went black, then the bat symbol appeared. When Tim clicked it, thousands of windows opened and the text scrolled on it's own accord. Tim smiled. "It's putting the information back together. Shouldn't take too…" The computer beeped. "That's weird." He pressed a few keys. "It's downloading something."

Clark came up beside them. "Should it be doing that?"

"No. It's supposed to be self contained. I'm trying to find the source, but it keeps changing."

A video box appeared in the middle of the screen, with Batman in the center.

 _"Batman log 418. Priority level alpha."_ The feed flickered in and out. _"If you are seeing this message / there's been a breach in our system / research has been compromised / the enemy has already acquired information they were looking for."_

Dick looked between Clark and Tim. "Have you seen this?"

Tim shook his head. "It's being streamed from a Waynetech satellite. This wasn't on the drives."

Batman continued _. "/ the six black boxes / entrusted to members of the Justice League to keep safe. The location and it's form of protection / known only to the one guarding it, / no one could reassemble the hard drive without the support of the entire League."_

Dick noticed Superman look down.

" _All the information I've compiled, none is more dangerous, or valuable, than The Anti-Life Equation. / inception is unclear. The first documented use / planet New Genesis, where it was / then it was rediscovered on earth / pursued by the hostile, Darkseid."_

"What's wrong with the connection?" Jason asked.

"There's some sort of interference, but it's locked me out."

" _Darkseid is more than human / obsessed with control. Few are aware of the code's existence. Fewer have the power to control it. And all except Darkseid have the resources / hack into our terminal. / most likely suspect / the code, his most likely objective._

 _The code manipulates and controls all forms of life, / it's comprised of six emotional frequencies / it was separated until Darkseid reconstructed the Equation on his last visit to Earth / the League extracted and erased the code from his memory / it took the form of / words / numbers / actions that mimicked hypnosis. / so we took extreme measures to keep the code safe._

Dick turned to Superman. "The whole league knew about this? You said you didn't know of a connection between the ones taken."

"I never imagined it could be… Batman assured us that the Equation could never be reforged…"

 _"Along with a black box, each member was given a fraction of the Equation, separate. / We couldn't keep the Equation in its original form, / we broke the Equation into six pieces and composed a sequence of music notes that recreated the emotional frequency of the original code. There are 6 bars of music / when played together / gives the user complete control / every living thing._

 _/ putting the Equation onto the harddrive was too dangerous / each member of The League put forth a candidate / would act as the codes keeper. The six chosen are not aware they posses part of the code / the melody is trapped in their subconscious._

 _Darkseid is not aware of the codes new form but he knows who has them._

 _They were chosen for their proximity to the Justice League / personal reason to keep them safe. I'm not proud of the methods we used / anything should happen to the six chosen, I could never forgive myself-"_

Dick took a deep breath. "-Please tell me this isn't true." He looked at Clark. "Please tell me the Justice League didn't involve innocent lives to protect a weapon."

"We never thought anybody would find out. The six aren't even aware they have the code."

The video finished.

"Oh! So, not only have they been kidnapped, but they're completely in the dark about why! Good job!"

The video started from the beginning.

"Don't misunderstand, this wasn't an easy decision. We had to make sure the code would always be protected!"

" _Batman log 418. Priority level alpha."_

"It doesn't matter!" Dick yelled. "You used them against their will! Barbara was taken because of what you and the Justice League did and if anything happens to her-"

"If anything happens to her…" Jason interrupted. "Darkseid gets the code and we're all dead anyway."

" _-the enemy has already acquired the information they were looking for."_

Jason turned to Dick but his voice was hollow. "We don't have time to argue about how we got here."

" _No one could reassemble the hard drive without the support of the entire League."_

"He's right." Superman stepped forward. "We need to come up with a plan."

" _You_ aren't coming up with anything! We need to get-"

" _The code manipulates and controls all forms of life-"_

Dick continued. "-Get all the information we can-"

" _we took extreme measures to keep the code safe."_

"-on what Darkseid-"

" _It's comprised of six emotional frequencies-"_

"Tim, can you turn that thing off?!"

Tim stood in front of the computer but didn't move

Dick followed his gaze. "Tim! What're you..."

A new video had begun to play in the static of Batman's message. The picture switched between Batman and Darkseid's smiling face.

Dick's face dropped. "I'm guessing this wasn't on the drives, either."

Tim shook his head. "He's piggybacking on Batman's emergency broadcast."

"To whomever I have the privilege of addressing…" Darkseid's voice had an air of victory.

"When was this recorded?"

Tim started on his keyboard. "Let me check."

"I'd like to thank The Justice League for lining the Equation up for me so beautifully. But, I could hardly have done it on my own." Darkseid smiled and turned from the camera.

The feed flickered between Batman and Darkseid.

" _The six chosen are not aware they posses part of the code / the melody is trapped in their subconscious."_

Darkseid turned back with Kyle Rayner's neck in his fist. "This one was hard to break. I never much cared for the Green Lantern Corp but after some… stimulating conversation, I think we've arrived at a bright new age of intergalactic relations."

" _Few are aware of the code's existence. Fewer have the power to control it."_

"He's given me all the information I needed to reforge the Equation… just not willingly" Darkseid smiled at Kyle, then threw him to the floor.

Dick turned to Superman. "Did you know Kyle was missing?"

Clark shook his head. "He left for a mission with the corp a few weeks ago, nobody has heard from his since."

" _The code manipulates and controls all forms of life. It's comprised of six emotional frequencies-"_

Darkseid laughed. "Though, he never mentioned that the code had been altered. It was a clever move on behalf of the Justice League and I might not have figured it out… had I not cast a net over Earth's broadcast signals."

" _The six chosen are not aware they posses part of the code…"_

Tim stepped back from the keyboard and shook his head. "It's not a recording. It's live."

"That means, I have no reason to keep any of the Justice League, or their accomplices, alive."

" _They were chosen for their proximity to the Justice League."_

The computer beeped. "Darkseid hacked into the rest of the Wayne satellites." Tim wiped the sweat with the back of his hand. "I'm trying to override it. He's targeting our location…"

" _I'm not proud of the methods we used."_

Jason and Dick exchanged looks. "They aren't armed, though." Jason looked to Tim. "Right?"

The beeps grew more urgent until they stopped and two words appeared on the screen.

"TARGET AQUIRED."

" _I could never forgive myself-"_

"Everyone get down!" Out the balcony window, a drop of light fell from the sky and hurled toward them.

" _Darkseid must not acquire the code. I fear the end of our free will is at hand."_

A ball of fire crashed through the apartment. There was a flash of light that exploded into flames and bright green pieces as Tim, Dick and Jason scattered in every direction.

" _Keep the guardians of the Equation near at all costs. It is our only, and last, hope."_

The apartment was turned to ash as the flames burned around them.

" _Darksei-/ -quire the cod- / fear the end of our fr- / -quation near at all- / last hop-"_

Dick crawled out from beneath the burning rubel when he saw Clark across the living room, unconscious. Small, green flecks of Kryptonite lodged into his skin that had been loaded into the satellites missile. "Shit."

" _The cod- / the end of / will is at hand / -quation near at al-"_

"Jason?" Dick called. "Tim?"

" _The co- / -he end / will is / near at-"_

There was no answer, only the sound of crackling flames.

" _The / end / is / near."_


	4. Part IV

Title: The Anti-Life Equation

Rating: T+

Chapter: 4/9

Author: Destinyislander24

Summary: Darkseid is after the pieces to The Anti-Life Equation and starts his search with the Bat Family. A 9 chapter story. Action/Adventure/Romance Jason/Dick. Posting Sundays and Wednesdays!

Author's Note: Woo! Made it this week! Feeling good about this one! Hope you enjoy and please feel free to send over any comments, ideas, thoughts, critiques, or jaunty tunes that might strike you during the course of the chapter!

-x-

When Barbara opened her eyes, she saw nothing but grey. Her face was pressed against something smooth and cold while the air around her felt stale and hot.

She pulled herself up and groaned, noting the throbbing pain in her head.

"Hello?" She called as her vision refocused. But the clarity didn't offer her much. She was in a cavernous room. The walls and floor were metal while the ceiling was so high, it faded to shadows. The room was barren except for herself and 5 others. Her heart jumped when she noticed the blonde hair and leather jacket a few feet from her.

"Dinah!" She tried to jump to her feet but felt her head might explode. Dinah twitched. "You're okay!" Barbara smiled and scooted closer.

"Where are we?" Black Canary turned onto her back and wiped away the trail of blood that dripped from her hairline.

Barbara shook her head. "I don't know, the last thing I remember…" Her heart sank. "We need to get out of here."

"What're you talking about?" Canary sat up. "You know why we're here?"

A door on the far side of the room swung open and a shadow stood in it's frame. "No, she doesn't." Darkseid stepped forward. "But I might be able to shed some light on the situation."

-x-

The smoke was so thick, Dick couldn't see a foot in front of him.

"Tim?" He called again. "Jason?" There was no answer.

He tried to wake Clark again but the fragments of Kryptonite embedded in his skin had a radioactive glow that seemed to continually drain the life from him.

Across the room came the sound of moving debris. "Jason?" Dick called, hopefully.

"Yeah, it's me." He emerged from the smoke with Tim over his shoulder. "Robin Jr. got knocked out but I think he'll be fine."

"Thank god." Dick nodded to Clark. "I don't think we can move him but we need to get out of here in case Darkseid decides to send another missle our way."

"Do we have somewhere to go? We're running out of hideouts to destory."

"Grab the hard drive, computer and tracker. I know what we need to do, I just _really_ don't want to do it."

-x-

" _You told Darkseid the code had been changed to music notes?"_ Roy's voice was so tight, it might break. "And _you!"_ He turned to Oliver. " _You_ are the one who put Dinah's life on the line to protect something you should've destroyed in the first place! _What is wrong with you people?!_ "

The tension in the Arrow's hideout was thick. Jason had been hesitant to include a member of the Justice League but they had run out of choices but Dick knew Oliver was the only one who had the resources to help Clark and the firepower to counter Darkseid.

Oliver sighed. "You're right, Roy and I'm sorry. But remember, I love Dinah as much as you. I only gave her the code because I would never let anything happen to her."

Roy laughed. "A lot of good it did her." The room stood silent. " _So?"_ Roy looked between them. "Anyone have any bright ideas of what we should do next?"

"Does the League know what's happening?" Dick asked.

Oliver nodded. "Hal is trying to get the support of the Lanterns to raid Apokolips but they're hesitant. Diana has consulted the witches of Themyscira to do a memory wipe from the six who have the code, when the time comes."

"How would Darkseid get the Equation from their subconscious, anyway?"

"That part isn't hard. We had the support of Martian Manhunter and Zatanna to raise the equation to their consciousness but it's not the same as erasing it. I fear that Darkseid is going to use much more… extreme measures to get the information he wants."

"And what if that doesn't work?"

"He'll try again."

-x-

Barbara felt a cold chill run down her spine. "Darkseid..."

"Smart girl." He smiled and entered the room, not bothering to close the door. "It took me a while to convince the others of my identity but…" he motioned to the four other unconscious figures. "... they eventually understood."

"What have you done to them?"

"Just reclaiming what was mine. The Justice League thought I wouldn't find the Equation if they hid the it within their miniscule army. They didn't realize that it would just make collecting it that much sweeter."

"The Equation?" Realization dawned on her. "The Anti-Life Equation…"

Darkseid laughed. "I see why _you_ were chosen. It's a shame, since it'll be the death of you."

"You're lying." Dinah snapped. "The Justice League would never involve someone without their consent."

"Ah… that was the other point I struggled to impart on your comrades." Darkseid nodded and a group of Parademons entered the room. They pushed Barbara to the side and surrounded Dinah. "But, they all came to understand one important lesson." The demons grabbed at her and she tried to fight them off. "There is no such thing as good and bad, right and wrong, light and dark. There is only power, and the lengths we'll go to protect it. Or acquire it." He nodded and the Parademons dragged Dinah from the room. "You'll understand after we've had a chance to talk." He followed them to the door and turned to Barbara. "I'll be coming back for you." He smiled. "Don't go anywhere." The door slammed shut behind him.

-x-

Dick paced the guest bedroom in the Arrow Cave. Tim and Jason sat on the bed as their eyes followed him back and forth.

"I mean… we can't just raid Apokolips without a plan… and firepower, real firepower! And we can't get the Justice League involved, considering this is their fault. What's the point in going if we're probably going to die? Or make things worse? We barely survived the last attack and that was at our own base!" He paused. "Speaking of, how are you feeling?" He glanced to Tim who had a thick bandage wrapped around his head. "Because you look… just, so awful."

"Thank you."

Dick groaned. "I just don't know what we should do! If Darkseid gets the code, we're screwed. But if we try and stop him before he gets it, and we lose, we're even more screwed."

A low beep came from Tim's bag.

"What is that?" Jason asked.

Tim dug through his backpack. "It's the tracker." When he held it up, his face dropped. "It just made connection with the receiver." Tim sighed. "Barbara is definitely on Apokolips."

The room went still. Dick looked to the floor. "Alright…" He looked up. "Let's get ready to leave."

Jason and Tim nodded.

"Are you okay to stay here?" Dick asked Tim. "We need someone to run the tube from the other side. Besides, you look like you might drop at any moment."

Tim rolled his eyes. "Yeah, that's fine. Better go help Ollie setup, then." He was unsteady getting to his feet and paused until the dots behind his eyes went away. "And maybe some rest after that."

"That would probably be best." Dick called as Tim left the room.

"I think get some sleep, too." Jason started towards the door but Dick blocked it with his arm.

"Actually, I think this would be a really good chance for us to talk."

"Dick… I'm don't real-"

"Great." Dick closed the door and Jason grunted. "Now that I have you here… ugh, this is harder than I thought it would be… I'm… I'm sorry Jason. Like, really, really, really sorry." Jason had no expression which sent Dick into overdrive. "What you heard… that wasn't fair of me to say, none of it and I'm sorry you had to hear it that way, I didn't want that. I… this is hard. I don't know how to deal with our… predicament, and I handled it badly…" he trailed and off, looking to Jason.

"Is that it?"

"Uhh…" Dick wanted to throw up. "I suppose that was the gist of it."

"Got it." Jason turned to leave. "Have a good night."

"Are you kidding me?" Dick said to Jason as he pulled open the door. "God, you are making this so difficult!"

"Am I?" Jason faced Dick and he could feel his anger rising. _"_ And what would you like to hear? _I'm sorry you have to go through this? I'm sorry it's been so hard for you to be around me?"_

"That wasn't what I meant- I can't help you if you-"

"I don't want your help! I don't want anything from you!" Jason screamed.

Despite himself, Dick froze and felt something inside himself break. "You're right. I shouldn't have pushed so hard."

"You think?!" It was too late, Jason had passed the point of no return. "You're such an asshole, do you know that?! You have _no idea_ what it's been like, for me. I'm so very sorry you were upset for a few months after I disappeared, but you shouldn't have bothered, because I never really thought of you." Jason chuckled. "In fact, it took me _years_ to even remember your name. Maybe you thought there was more between us then there was, but there's no reason to pretend now that I'm back. Whatever we had, it's over now."

He tried to leave but Dick blocked his path.

"Jason-"

Jason pushed him to the side. "Get the fuck out of my way, Grayson!" And he stormed from the room.

-x-

"Once the boomtube is activated, we have less than 2 minutes to get the three of you to the other side." Tim announced behind the teleports operating panel. "You'll have to go in 30 seconds apart. I can't target _exactly_ where you'll come out on the other side, so throw _these-_ " he handed out three small, red balls, "-back through the portal if it's safe for the next person to step through."

"I'll go first." Dick declared.

"Great. Oliver? You'll go after. Then Jason."

Roy grunted. "I still think I should be on the away team."

"I need you to stay and run command from here." Oliver clasped him on the shoulder. "With Clark under and the Batcave gone, this has become central command."

Oliver, Jason and Dick stood in a row with their backs to Tim. "Alright, everybody ready?" Tim asked and the air was filled with the sound of crackling electricity.

It started as a small flicker of light that bloomed into an illuminated doorway. Dick took a deep breath. "Here we go…" and he stepped through the portal. The sparks enveloped him, and he was gone.

The room stood completely still while they waited for the signal, but just when Dick's 30 seconds were nearly over, a small red ball rolled out of the portal and stopped at Jason's feet. "It worked." Tim sounded relieved. "Oliver? You're up."

Green Arrow nodded and pulled his shoulders back. But before he could step through, a streak of red crossed the room and knocked him to his feet. "Roy?!" Oliver yelled. "What're you doing?"

"Dinah's life is too important to be left up to you." Roy flashed him a smile. "See you on the other side." And he jumped through.

"Shit!" Jason yelled. "What're we supposed to do now?"

"You go." Oliver got to his feet. "I'll stay here and help Tim ready a second wave. The teleport is too unstable to transport four people."

Jason looked between the teleport and Oliver. "I don't think I'm the right-"

"30 seconds until it closes!" Tim yelled.

"Go!" Oliver pushed Jason into the portal and through the breach.

His vision was filled with light while his bones seemed to be pulled apart by the force. And just when the pressure of the teleport threatened to overtake him, he opened his eyes and found himself on Apokolips.

-x-


	5. Part V

Title: The Anti-Life Equation

Rating: T+

Chapter: 5/9

Summary: Darkseid is after the pieces to The Anti-Life Equation and starts with the Bat Family. Jason/Dick

Author's Note: Haha! Made the deadline. This chapter is a little shorter but just cause I had a big push with a bunch of others but still on track! Enjoy!

-x-

Jason stood in the metal of a metal lined trench as the boom tube closed behind him. He had just enough time to step to the side as Dick and Roy hurled toward him.

They struggled on the ground before Jason pulled them apart.

"Do you realize you've jeopardized everything?!" Jason kept Dick from jumping back at Roy.

"It wasn't my idea to stay behind!" Roy strapped his bow over his shoulder. "And I'm _done_ leaving Dinah's life in the hands of people who could care less. Now, if you aren't going to help me, I'll find her on my o-"

A sniper shot ripped between the three of them. They scattered and pressed themselves against the sides of the trench.

"Alright." Roy rolled his eyes. "So, what's the plan?"

"Now you're suddenly on board?!" Dick yelled.

"Dick, get it together!" When Jason tried to look above the ledge, another bullet lodged inches from his head. He ducked back down. "Doesn't look like we'll be going this way." He pulled the tracker from his pocket and tossed it to Dick. "Is it still working? I don't even know where the screen is supposed to be."

"It's online, Barbara isn't far from here." Dick glanced over the ledge. "If you can cover me, I think I can make it to the fortress."

"Ooooh, no. You aren't going anywhere without me." Roy scooted to Jason's other side, next to Dick.

Dick rolled his eyes. " _Fine._ Jason, how many rounds do you have?"

He pulled his gun from his jacket and an extra clip. "Twelve, with one in the barrel."

"That doesn't seem like a lot."

Jason pointed the gun over his shoulder and pulled the trigger. A far distance away, came a scream, then a splat on the pavement. "It's enough. Now, go, and meet back at the entrance of his base."

Roy gave a nod, leapt over the ledge and started across the open plane. Dick froze. "Jason… I don't want to leave-"

"I swear to God, Grayson! Get the fuck out of here!"

Dick grunted but disappeared.

-x-

Barbara tried to wake up each of the unconscious heroes but none budged. She checked their breathing was regulated and their pupils dilated which pushed the worst case scenarios from her mind. Then she took to setting up for Darkseid's return.

Nothing had been removed from her when she had arrived. She found her utility belt fully stocked, the receiver of her tracker and light artillery but when she searched the others, she came back empty handed.

When the door opened a while later, and Dinah was brought in, Barbara waited in the center of the room. The Parademons filed in and surrounded her, then Darkseid entered with a wicked smile. "Last but not least."

"Save it with the cryptic, let's just get this over with." A Parademon grabbed her arm and she yanked it away, then started to the door. Her heart hammered in her chest as she passed the massive titan but she pulled back her shoulders and turned into the hall.

-x-

The hallways of the Apokolips's stronghold were like a maze. All the hallways crossed over and under one another. There seemed to be an infinite amount of floors and staircases but they never lead anywhere in particular, just back into more jumbled pathways.

"Give it to me! You're just leading us in circles!" Roy's voice echoed through the cathedral sized passageways.

Dick froze in front a window paneled wall with the lava springs of Apokolips casting a warm glow inside the silver fortress. "Wait… she's moving." They exchanged looks and Dick tossed the tracer to Roy. "You better know what you're doing, we don't have a lot of time."

-x-

Sniper shots began immediately after Dick and Roy made it across the plane. They weren't shots to kill, just to keep him in place, which meant they were sending something this way.

"Earthling!" A woman yelled, not far off. "Come out now and we will give you an honorable death."

"I'm good where I am, darling. But if you want to come down-" A bullet raced by his head. "Ah, shit." He began to crawl along the bottom of the trench.

"You have nowhere to run!" She boomed.

He dared to glance over the ledge. There was a tall, muscular woman in armor that looked like bandages, her hands on her hips and an excited smile. On a ledge across the the plane, Jason could make out a similar woman put down her sniper and pick up a grenade launcher. She took aim at the spot Jason had just been and fired.

There was a flash of intense heat as Jason was pushed back by the force of the blast. By the time the smoke cleared, Jason could make out the outline of the woman standing above him. "My name is Lashina of the Furies and you will be executed for invading our planet."

-x-

Darkseid's medical wing looked more like a torture chamber. A single medical stretcher was in the center of a round room with dozens of machines that connected to nasty looking instruments. A soft looking woman with blonde hair strapped Barbara in as she tried to hold herself together.

"I hope you know what you're doing cause if this code is in my subconscious, you've got your work cut out for you. I've been known to hold onto things _forever_."

Darkseid chuckled. "My methods are efficient." The blonde adhered wires to Barbara's temples. "But that doesn't mean painless. You can blame your champions for that."

"They're gonna kill you, you know? Not only are you threatening Earth, you've gone after the people they care about most. That's not something they're going to forgive."

"I'm counting on it." Darkseid nodded to the blonde who went from machine to machine and powered them on. "Humans have this strange relationships with love." He walked toward her. "They are the ones you trusted and they betrayed you, but you blame me for seeking the code, which was mine many eons before it was theirs."

"I blame the one that wants to hurt innocent people."

He stood next to her stretcher. "My dear girl, there's no such thing as innocence. You're League is just as corrupt as me. They didn't destroy the Equation because the potential to use it was too tempting. I killed my own mother for control over this fortress because the right to power only comes from the death of love. Without her, I am stronger." The machines grew louder all around Barbara. "Without you, the members of the League are stronger. It's no wonder they gave the Equation to those they love the most, your death is the best excuse they could have to use it.

The blonde pulled the switch.

-x-


End file.
